


To Doom and Ruin

by LadyBrooke



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 20:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10557166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBrooke/pseuds/LadyBrooke
Summary: Celeborn meets with Amdír and Oropher to convince them to join Gil-galad's alliance, if they can overcome the First Age's scars.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Taming the Muse on Dreamwidth, for the prompt Rhetorical Question.

“What have the Noldor ever done for us?”

Celeborn didn’t respond as Oropher raged through the room.

“What have they done for us?” Amdír said from his spot in the corner. “Nothing! They’ve left us alone, but then expect us to bow down to Gil-galad the second he calls for aid.”

Celeborn didn’t respond to this either.

Finally, both of the others calmed down. Celeborn finally spoke then. “But do we have any choice other than to respond to him? If we refuse, it is only a matter of time until Sauron comes for us, without any aid from the Noldor.”

Oropher shook his head. “Is it true what the rumors say? That his power comes from his ring, and that your wife and the King each hold a ring to use to defend themselves? What are we to be but lambs to the slaughter in that case, if they can simply defend themselves and leave us to die if need be?”

Celeborn didn’t need to look to the corner to know that Amdír, no matter how much he had welcomed Galadriel here, was nodding. The divisions of the First Age ran too deep for Amdír to completely trust her.

“At least if you work with them, there is the chance of being protected by the rings as well. If you are completely opposed, then you will be naught but lambs waiting for Sauron to come. If we join, we may die, but it will be while trying to kill the enemy,” Celeborn finally answered. “And what have we ever wanted but that?”

“Safety? Our kingdoms free of Noldor rule? For the lives of our children to not be treated as bargaining chips while we bow to the whims of a king that none of us acknowledge as our rightful lord?” Oropher snapped.

“But we can’t have any of that anymore!” Celeborn slammed his fist against the wall. “We lost all of that when Doriath fell, if we ever had it to begin with. You don’t need to tell me that, I grew up on the March like you. And we want the same things, but I see no way to get those without at least joining Gil-galad’s plan for a time.”

Oropher and Amdír were silent, watching Celeborn. “You can’t tell me that you think you can hold off Sauron on your own. He’s too strong now, yes as the result of the follies of the Noldor, but whys don’t matter anymore. All that matters is that none of us has the power to beat him unless we all join together.”

Oropher finally nodded. “You are right. I will tell my troops to prepare themselves to march, and tell Thranduil to say his goodbyes to his family for the time.”

“I will do the same with mine,” Amdír said.

Both left quickly, the tension in the room still too high for the peaceful chatter that had once marked meetings between the three. Celeborn remained alone in the room, thinking of Doriath’s ruin and the chances that he had just doomed some of the few to remain from there to death.


End file.
